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More than 1,200 people were murdered and some 300 abducted to the Gaza Strip when terrorists descended on Israeli communities near the border with the Hamas-controlled enclave on October 7, 2023.
Although it feels disturbingly fresh in the mind of Israeli society not least because some 100 hostages are still held in Gaza, it has actually been a year since that black Saturday.
At least 715 Israeli soldiers fell in battle on October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza, which continues to this day. Of that number, 346 troops have died since the start of Israel’s ground operation in the Strip on October 27.
The families and loved ones of fallen soldiers and civilians have been working hard to commemorate the lives and legacies of those who perished. Some of the ideas they’ve come up with are quite innovative.
ISRAEL21c has compiled a list of the nine most unusual memorials dedicated to those who lost their lives in the war.
1. Capt. (res.) Denis Krokhmalov Veksler
The late Captain (res.) Denis Krokhmalov Veksler. Photo courtesy of family
In October 2023, Denis Krokhmalov Veksler was set to relocate from Beersheva to Haifa to begin studying aerospace engineering at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
His plans changed when he was called up for reserve duty following the October 7 attacks. Exactly three months into his service, he fell in battle in Gaza on January 8, at age 32.
In his memory, the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering dedicated its new NOVA-SAT satellite, the final project of a group of students in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The satellite is intended to carry a detector for measuring bursts of gamma radiation, astronomical events that are very difficult to locate.
2. Vivian Silver
The Canadian-Israeli lifelong peace activist headed the Arab Jewish Center For Empowerment, Equality, and Cooperation (AJEEC), which promoted cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Silver was killed on October 7 during a massacre in Kibbutz Be’eri, near the border with Gaza. She was listed as hostage for five weeks before her remains, identifiable only through DNA, were discovered inside the kibbutz. She was 74.
To honor her legacy, Vivian’s sons, Yonatan and Chen Zeigen, founded the Vivian Silver Impact Award.
The prize will be awarded annually to two women, Arab and Jewish, who “show great promise or have demonstrated significant accomplishments in areas that embody Vivian’s values,” such as peace between Israel and the Palestinians, shared society between Jews and Arabs in Israel, and promotion of women to influential positions.
3. Staff Sgt. Tomer Nagar
Tomer Nagar with a glass of beer. Photo courtesy of the Nagar family
Twenty-year-old Nagar was stationed at the Kissufim army base next to the Gaza border when Hamas attacked on October 7.
When the terrorists reached the military outpost, Nagar remained at his position. He kept fighting for nearly an hour, using all 675 bullets he had at his disposal, saving many lives. Nagar was eventually shot dead by the attackers.
To honor his memory, the Nagar family earlier this year teamed up with Glentz Brewery, based in southern Israel, to create a limited edition beer called “Tomer.”
The beer is described as “rough, Israeli, unfiltered” and “one that leaves a taste for more.” Just like Tomer himself.
4. Lin Dafni
Dafni, 22, spent the first half of 2023 traveling in South America, having completed her mandatory military service. On October 7, she was one of thousands of people attending the Supernova music festival with her best friend Ziv Frenkel.
The two women were initially listed as missing, before their remains were discovered at the grounds of the festival near Kibbutz Re’im a week later.
Dafni’s family, parents Ilil and Yogev, and brothers Yahli and Eden, decided to commemorate Lin’s life by partnering with Lin’s Farm because the business shares a name with her late daughter.
The result of the partnership is limited edition honey, with Dafni’s image on the jar. “Lin was a girl who loved the sun, sea, summer and sunsets, so it was very appropriate to commemorate her in this way,” said Ilil.
5. Staff Sgt. Yehonatan Samo
Jonathan Red Wine. Photo courtesy of Wine & Friends
The 21-year-old paratrooper was in the final months of his mandatory military service when the war erupted. On November 8, a month after the Hamas attacks, Samo was shot in the head and critically wounded. He died at Rabin Medical Center a few days later.
Honoring Samo’s wishes, his family donated his organs, which saved the lives of six people.
To immortalize Yehonatan, his parents teamed up with wine distributor Wine & Friends to create a limited-edition wine. Jonathan Red Wine consists of a blend of cabernet sauvignon, Syrah, grenache, Mourvèdre, cabernet franc, and Petit Verdot.
6. Staff Sgt. Elisha Yehonatan Lober
Twenty-five-year-old Elisha Yehonatan, the sixth of nine children, was called up to reserve duty on October 8. On December 25, he was killed in battle in Gaza, leaving behind a pregnant wife and a 10-month-old son.
His father, Hagay, a rabbi and actor/acting teacher, decided to honor Elisha Yehonatan by staging a one-man play, “October 7.” Lober Sr. has been working for 20 years on the play, which tells the story of a man trying to move on with life after his wife is murdered in a terror attack.
Lober began re-writing the play to fit the events of October 7 when his son was still fighting in Gaza. The final chapter is an hour-long monologue of a grieving father, and his efforts to move on.
The play premiered on January 25, to mark 30 days of Elisha Yehonatan’s death. Tickets are available at the Gerard Behar Theater in Jerusalem.
7. Yonat Or
The 50-year-old homeware designer was murdered by terrorists at her home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. Her husband, Dror, was killed too, and his body was abducted to Gaza.
The couple’s two children were also kidnapped to the Palestinian enclave, but freed 50 days later in a prisoner exchange deal.
To commemorate Or, her loved ones decided to continue operating her home design brand Ayuna, selling her unique designs online and at a physical store in Bnei Brak.
8. Lt. Dekel Suissa
The 23-year-old company commander in the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion was the most senior soldier at the army outpost near Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. Suissa fell in battle defending the outpost, saving the lives of many of his soldiers in the process.
To honor him, the Suissa family launched a special black coffee liqueur, Dekel’s favorite drink, under the brand name Pakal Cafe.
The brand’s slogan is “Don’t Forget to Smile When You Wake Up,” a phrase that Dekel would frequently say to his family and friends.
9. Staff Sgt. Shachar Fridman
The 21-year-old paratrooper was among the first to arrive at the scene of the Supernova music festival massacre on October 7. He had not stopped fighting since that day until he fell in battle in Gaza on November 19.
To commemorate him, the Fridman family established the Living the Dream foundation, a non-profit that seeks to help families of the fallen soldiers make their unrealized dreams a reality. The foundation’s goal is to help heal Israeli society following the October 7 attacks.
Fridman worked with children with autism, and left behind an ethical will before entering Gaza. The Fridman family translated the document to English and made it available publicly:
Be Good People
Smile.
Strive to make every person you meet smile too.
Be open to criticism and always try to improve yourself.
Know that the greatest quality a person can have is the ability to make another person happy.
Open your ears to the needs of others and open your eyes to their pain.
Try to smile as much as possible even when it’s hard.
Pay attention to the small people who fall in the corners of the eye.
Appreciate the little things the world has to offer, especially nature and music.
And most importantly, be good people in your own way. Don’t let society dictate to you what makes you good people, just try as hard as you can, and even when you fall, know that that’s the road to success.
Love yourselves and the world. When you radiate happiness, a circle of joy will slowly form that will create a better world.
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